Two new stills from 'The Fault in Our Stars' have been released alongside an in-depth article from Entertainment Weekly. See below for quotes, plus new stills featuring Hazel, Gus and Issac.

John Green's inspiration from Esther Earl:

Green never imagined TFIOS would be a best-seller. He started writing the novel in 2000 after working as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital, but set it aside. He only returned to the project after the death of Esther Earl, a 16-year-old video blogger to whom he had become quite close. He dedicated The Fault in Our Stars to her memory. “I couldn’t bear not writing it anymore,” he says. “I now believe that short lives can be good lives — full and rich — and that was the real lesson that Esther taught me.” Green says. “I tried to write the funniest, most honest love story I could about these kids who were living with a difficult disease. I never thought it would be popular.”

On finding Josh Boone to direct:

Just about everyone involved with TFIOS was willing to cut their fee to keep the film within its bare-bones $12 million budget and preserve the story’s integrity. As for the “very careful” choices, finding the right director was a biggie. Like many people on the production, Josh Boone, 35, has a personal connection to the material — one of his best friends died of lung cancer a month before he began shooting his first film, 2013′s Stuck in Love. “This book got me through a rough patch,” he says. Boone is tall and skinny, and he looks much younger than his age. He also seems preternaturally relaxed considering it’s only his second movie, and his first studio project. “I don’t really get stressed,” he says, grinning. “I’m pretty Zen.”

On casting Shai as Hazel:

Her enthusiasm nearly backfired. “It turned me off at first,” Boone says, adding that he also considered Woodley, now 22, too old for the part. He’d hoped to cast someone closer to Hazel’s age of 16. He and his casting director read nearly 200 actresses before flying to Chicago, where Woodley was filming Divergent. “I liked her a lot personally, but I still didn’t think she was Hazel,” he says. But then she auditioned. “Within about two minutes, I knew it was going to be her,” he says. “I was on the floor. I thought, ‘Why am I fighting this? There’s nobody better than her. She’s awesome.’ ” Green wasn’t in the room at the time, but had the same reaction when he saw her taped audition: “I suddenly was in a blind panic, jumping on the phone and screaming, ‘We must lock this down! It has to be Shailene Woodley!’ ” He laughs. “She is Hazel.”

John on set during the Amsterdam dining scene:

John Green is relaxing on a couch on set when Elgort strides by wearing his Amsterdam-date suit. “My God, buddy,” Green says. “If I had known how great you’d look in that suit, I’d have written more of them into this book.” Elgort smiles and strikes a pose. The author has become a living litmus test for the cast and crew, the man whom they seek out for answers and validation. “Having John’s approval, more than anyone else, has been the biggest honor,” Woodley says. “He’s quickly become one of my top five favorite human beings.”